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I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

theguardian.com

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Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#131

Post by Hydraulix989 »

mod wrote: post #120
BowBun wrote: post #31

The prison system is a crazy, privatized torture system designed to keep the poor incarcerated to increase profits for all the contract work related to running the prison system. Rikers is a great example of a clearly flawed jail system, with inmates getting stuck for years without trial and sometimes killing themselves after losing hope. Having recently gone through the judicial system as a white male, I can't image…

You said you can't imagine being a black man going through the judicial system, and then pointed at your wealth as the source of your "win," rather than your race.

I interpreted the word "buy" more in the sense of social capital.

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#132

Post by pmoriarty »

metaphorm wrote: post #102
Toenex wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The world was divided into order and chaos not good and evil. What an interesting point.

incredibly common theme in many pre-Christian myth systems. the good/evil dualism in Christianity is the real aberration, despite its prominence. one of the more credible hypotheses I've encountered about this phenomenon is that early Christianity adopted many of the positions of Gnostic Manichaeism [0] in order to absorb rival cults. 0- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manichaeism

Christianity is far from alone in its belief in good and evil. The idea that there's a battle between good and evil goes back to Zoroastrianism, which predates Christianity by hundreds of years. The other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Islam, also have conceptions of good and evil, though they might not be viewed as being involved in a battle.

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#133

Post by hacker_9 »

Toenex wrote: post #88
jernfrost wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am Norwegian, so I thought I'd add a few points, which I think greatly influence the difference. 1) Prison guard education is just a few weeks in the US to my knowledge. In Norway it is a 3 year college education, where you learn about mental illness, why people become criminals, how to rehabilitate people etc. The prison guard job in Norway, is by American standards more like a social worker. Guards spend a lot of…

> The world was divided into order and chaos not good and evil. What an interesting point.

Makes me wonder how much we miss out on in the rest of the world because of the language barrier.

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#135

Post by komali2 »

coldtea wrote: post #17
mallaidh wrote: post #11

A note: Herman Wallace was released on October 1, 2013 because of advanced liver cancer. The state reindicted him on October 3, but he died the next day a free man. Albert Woodfox was released in February 2016. The Angola 3 were held in solitary confinement for more than 100 years combined, with Woodfox's 43 years of solitary being the longest of any American prisoner.

Anything beyond a few weeks or a month in solitary confinement should be illegal and punishable by law the same as torture. And with no loopholes for joining many smaller stays to a long big stay.

Solitary confinement is not an effective method of societal reintegration. I'm not sure why it's implemented at all.

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#136

Post by rrobukef »

Florin_Andrei wrote: post #104
arcticbull wrote: post #7

Honestly, I find the US prison system absolutely horrifying in all respects. As satisfying as it may be for victims to feel the person that did something to them is 'gone' they will eventually be let out, and when they do I want them to be ready to integrate with society. Recidivism rates in the US show it is objectively not working, with state prisons leaving inmates to re-offend 76% of the time. [1] In Norway, much…

> mandatory fill rates in private prison contracts One day people will look back at this and go "they did WHAT?" The age of savagery.

That day has come and gone. What will we do about it?

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#137

Post by orf »

jernfrost wrote: post #93
aaron-lebo wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that wasn't always the deal. The US up until 1900 was not the top dog. Yeah, the US has a lot of flaws that need to be reformed, but that doesn't make it any different than any more country in history, it makes it exactly like them. It's not an American problem, it's a human problem. When we understand that and stop pointing we'll all be better off.

I strongly disagree. The US is the most powerful country EVER in human history. It has the ability to invade and influence any country on the planet. No country in the past really had that ability. When Great Britain rules much of the world, they were no superpower like the US today. There were countless countries in Europe which could all challenge Britain militarily. Back then there was many great powers. Today the…

Your point about great Britian isn't completely correct, no power could have stood against the empire at its peak. France could have given it a go perhaps, and did around 1800 and where beaten (Waterloo! Waterloo! Waterloo!).

The differences you talk about now are, in my opinion, down to advanced weaponry. Where before it was about manpower (and England's vast empire made procurement of such very easy) and sailing (another thing England was pretty damn good at), today it's more about who has the biggest and most advanced guns, bombs and delivery technology. America outspends, America wins.

That being said, I'm reminded of a rather apt poem I read somewhere about the British invasion of Afghanistan in the 1800's, basically saying how despite many pounds of expensive training given to English soldiers, they where shot and killed by a Afghanistan pistol in the mountains that only cost a shilling (If anyone has a reference for that I would be very grateful, I cannot find it anywhere)

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#138

Post by MrZongle2 »

erikpukinskis wrote: post #81
MrZongle2 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A country that would, and I quote, "...blatantly violate every kind of basic human right" doesn't sound particularly nice, does it? Every kind of basic human right? I guess we're tied with North Korea, then? If that's the United States, who's worse?

You really don't see the difference between the phrases "worst country ever" and "not particularly nice"? You're going to have a hard time both learning and teaching if you can't reign in your language a little. No one around you is actually understanding you because your language doesn't represent your true thoughts. You are the only person hearing the arguments you think you're having.

"You're going to have a hard time both learning and teaching if you can't reign in your language a little."

Did you happen to see the original post I responded to....with the "and then they blatantly violate every kind of basic human right" nonsense?

My response was due to the hyperbolic nature of that statement. It was sarcasm, you know, thus the /s at the end. It is this breathless, over-the-top outrage that I object to, and so if somebody supports that position I'd like to know where exactly they draw the line: is the US truly a terrible country, the worst country ever, or just somewhere in the bottom 10%?

If we're going to be absurd, let's get a handle on where the boundary is.

You, on the other hand, appear to have missed the entire point here. But thanks for the sanctimonious lecture.

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#139

Post by goatlover »

jernfrost wrote: post #93
aaron-lebo wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that wasn't always the deal. The US up until 1900 was not the top dog. Yeah, the US has a lot of flaws that need to be reformed, but that doesn't make it any different than any more country in history, it makes it exactly like them. It's not an American problem, it's a human problem. When we understand that and stop pointing we'll all be better off.

I strongly disagree. The US is the most powerful country EVER in human history. It has the ability to invade and influence any country on the planet. No country in the past really had that ability. When Great Britain rules much of the world, they were no superpower like the US today. There were countless countries in Europe which could all challenge Britain militarily. Back then there was many great powers. Today the…

You mean after they were totally defeated in WW2? Keep in mind it was the European powers who created modern slavery and carved the world up into colonies, and then started two world wars. Easy to point fingers now that you lack the power.

Re: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#140

Post by seanmcdirmid »

vivekd wrote: post #129
jernfrost wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am Norwegian, so I thought I'd add a few points, which I think greatly influence the difference. 1) Prison guard education is just a few weeks in the US to my knowledge. In Norway it is a 3 year college education, where you learn about mental illness, why people become criminals, how to rehabilitate people etc. The prison guard job in Norway, is by American standards more like a social worker. Guards spend a lot of…

>Christianity is quite focused on the idea of good and evil. Norse mythology was never like that. Norse mythology was never like that. There was no evil devil. The world was divided into order and chaos not good and evil. What? Why do people say stuff like this? The Norse myths were from a millennium ago, no one has believed in them for almost a thousand years. Maybe Norway is largely atheistic now but for the majori…

Not many Norwegians are believers in Norse myth, I think parent was referring to the fact that today's Norway is just less religious in general.

Yesterday's Norway is less relevant.

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